The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of the Arabian Nights

For surely a king is first a man. And so it must follow that a king does as all men do: the best he can.

I will not fail,' the water bearer's daughter vowed. 'But worse than failing is not to try at all. For then there can be no hope of success.

Do you fear to lose me? Have I become so essential to you that you will treasure me always and never take me for granted?

A story can fly like a bee, so straight and swift you catch only the hum of its passing. Or move so slowly it seems motionless, curled in upon itself like a snake in the sun. It can vanish like smoke before the wind. Linger like perfume in the nose. Change with every telling, yet always remain the same.

And so, in their fear, Shahrazad and Shahrayar increased their own danger, though they did not do so knowingly. For, each in his or her own way, both looked in the wrong direction: not inward, but outward. In the moment when they needed to recall it, both forgot the first queen's prophecy. Only by knowing what was in their hearts and being unafraid to have it known could all be made right once more.